Class Study Guide

Hominids and their Characteristics

Australopithecus: name means "southern ape"*appeared in Africa about 4-5 million years ago*stood upright, walked on two legs*brain 1/3 the size of our(modern)brain
Homo habilis: name means "handy man"*appeared in Africa about 2.4 million years ago*used early stone tools to chop and cut*brain 1/2 the size of our(modern)brain
Homo erectus: name means "upright man"*appeared in Africa about 2-1.4 million years ago*used early stone tools like hand ax*learned how to control fire*migrated from Africa to Europe and Asia
Homo sapiens: name means "wise man"*appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago*learned how to use fire and other variety of tools*developed language*same species as modern humans today*migrated all around the Earth

Aspects of Daily life effects notes

Food supply: In the Paleolithic period, the food became scarce so the people in the Neolithic period, the people started to cultivate seeds. The Neolithic period farmersdomesticated the plants and animals. The cultivation of plants and domestication of animals are callled agriculture.
Occupations: In the Paleolithic period, the people had concentrated mainly on the food-finding. In the Neolithic period, people were reliable on the food since they had started agriculture, so they paid more attention to the art and decorating instead. The skills included sewing, building and tool-making. People made obsidian and other things to honor the gods. The life between the Paleolithic period and the Neolithic period has a very big difference.
Population/Settlement: In the Paleolithic period, people settled together in bands which included only 20-60 people. They had also moved around every now and then because of the food. In the Neolithic period, people could settle down since they farmed by themselves so they don't have to move to other places and the population of one town or village living together has increased a lot. As they started to live together, they shared ideas and to help each other. As the population grew, the people became more rich and varied.
Resources: In the Paleolithic period, people had only used resources that were near their land like plants and water. The people didn't trade that often. In the Neolithic period, people started to move around and use other resources that weren't near their land. They added more and more resources as the technology became more sophisticated. Since the people used more decorations, people traded a lot more. The people at that time traded for obsidian a lot of times. Women used
hematite for makeup to make a reddish glow on their cheeks.
Shelter: In the Paleolithic period, had to move many times depending on where the food goes. They made round-shaped tents. In the Neolithic period, people settled down and made rectangular-shaped tents. They started to use bricks and mud.
Technology: In the Paleolithic period, the people made flint knifes that were crooked. They didn't use a variety of tools. In the Neolithic period, people used more and more different types of tools because more people made them. The people made animal skin to put on the tools. They improved on how to use tools, too.

Vocabulary

scarce :insufficient for the demand
cultivate :prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening
domesticated : tame (an animal) and keep it as a pet or for farm produce
agriculture : the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products
obsidian :
a hard, dark, glasslike volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization
hematite :a reddish-black mineral consisting of ferric oxide. It is an important ore of iron.
hominid :a primate of a family ( Hominidae) that includes humans and their fossilancestors.
ancestor :a person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whomone is descended
paleolithic era :the old stone age
mesolithic era : the middle stone age
neolithic era : the new stone age
society :the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community
hunter-gatherers : a member of a nomadic people who live chiefly by hunting, fishing, andharvesting wild food
migrate :(of an animal, typically a bird or fish) move from one region or habitatto another, esp. regularly according to the seasons
ice age :a glacial episode during a past geological period

Other notes:

We, the Homo Sapiens are the ones that know how to create a fire
The Homo erectus knows how to control
(Don't get mixed up!)